News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Measures to encourage greater use of the province's Crown reserve angling waters were announced today.

“The government is committed to maintaining the Crown reserve system as a high-quality angling experience at a reasonable price for residents of New Brunswick,” said Natural Resources Minister Paul Robichaud. “The initiatives we are implementing will encourage greater use of Crown reserve waters.”

The measures were developed following consultations with the province's major organizations representing anglers as well as those involved in salmon conservation. They were asked to help the Department of Natural Resources identify ways to maximize the use of the Crown reserve stretches to generate higher revenues and help offset an imbalance that exists between revenues and the cost to maintain the stretches and administer the Crown reserve draws.

“In 2012, the 40 Crown reserve stretches were used less than half the available days, so we believe there is great potential to increase the use of these waters and generate additional revenues,” said Robichaud.

Most of the Crown reserves are located along the Miramichi and Restigouche watersheds although there are also several lakes. Only New Brunswick residents can apply through a draw system to fish on Crown reserve waters.

The measures announced include:

●    increasing to seven from five the number of stretches that anglers can apply for in the regular Crown reserve draw;
●    charging the Crown reserve application fee of $7 once annually instead of each time a person applies;
●    reducing the fee for regular, daily and live release Crown reserve licences by one-third for licences sold between Sept. 1 and Sept. 15;
●    applying the two-day per month restriction on the number of times anglers may apply to fish on daily or live release waters to a specific stretch rather than to all daily or live release waters;
●    increasing trout bag limits to two fish from one per day on the five Crown reserve lakes in the Miramichi region; and
●    increasing the trout bag limit on California Lake to five fish from the current two trout per day.
Robichaud said the department is also working to create an Internet-based application, booking and licence payment system that will complement the existing telephone and walk-in systems.

Under the present system, the majority of Crown reserve applications, bookings of unclaimed waters and licence payments are done by calling or visiting a department office. A public portal system will be developed in time for the 2014 angling season to allow Crown reserve anglers to determine what stretches of water are available, submit applications, book unclaimed stretches and pay for their Crown reserve licence online.

The department will replace the mini-draw system now used for unclaimed regular Crown reserve stretches with a simplified first-come, first-served booking process.

Under the present system, regular Crown reserve stretches not taken in the initial draw are re-offered to anglers through a series of mini-draws held throughout the Crown reserve angling season from late May until early September.   

In 2012, almost half of the available stretch dates in the regular Crown reserve draw were not taken and became available to the mini-draw system. Of those, only 10 per cent of the available dates were booked through the mini-draws.

“Anglers have told us that the mini-draw system is overly complex and does not allow them to book far enough ahead,” said Robichaud. “We need a system that is more client-orientated and will help us achieve our goal of greater utilization of the Crown reserve system.”

A simplified system will allow applicants who were unsuccessful in the regular draw to book unclaimed stretches on a first-come, first-served basis for two weeks beginning the second Monday in May. A limit of one stretch per unsuccessful applicant will apply.

Beginning the first Monday in June, any remaining unclaimed stretches can be booked on a first-come, first-served basis by any resident angler.

“New Brunswick's Crown reserves are some of the finest Atlantic salmon and trout fishing waters to be found anywhere,” said Robichaud. “These initiatives are all designed to encourage resident anglers to take advantage of this great opportunity.”